Motion to dismiss education funding suit denied

A Tallahassee circuit judge has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by parents from across Florida that challenges the state on education funding.

The lawsuit accuses state leaders of failing to provide the necessary resources for public education, leading to low graduation rates, unsafe schools and higher property taxes. It draws on a constitutional amendment approved in 1998 calling for Florida to make education a “paramount duty” of the state.

The judge’s decision was filed Wednesday. The state argued that the court didn’t have jurisdiction over the issue, but the court ruled it did have jurisdiction and that the plaintiffs raised a “justiciable question.”